Implement handling mechanism



July 20, 1943. a B. MEYER 2,324,635

IMPLEMENT HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed May 19', 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. I? f mm Z3. Mans a INVQEIZJTOR. I Haws/v 1 S heei S-Sheet 2 y V axe IMPLEMENT HANDLING ammy an ina}; Fn' auayilg. i939 July 20,1943. 7

Patented July 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IMPLEMENT HANDIJNG MECHANISM Edward B. Meyer, Cleveland, Ohio Original application May 19, 1939, Serial No. 274,630. Divided andthis application May 5, 1941, Serial NO. 391,834

cases; not very eihcient or convenient and inter- Claims.

Theinvention rlates'to a self-contained unitary lifting mechanism for implements such as ,track clearin plows, shovels, etc., which are adapted to be movably mounted for operation on internal combustion engine drivenvehicles (i. e. automobiles and tractors) havingelectric power plantsfor starting, ignition, .etc. The

above indicates the. principal object.

feted with proper attention to driving of the vehicle. The hydraulic arrangements also required too much attention on part or the driver and invariably required tubing leading from the drivers position to the hydraulic ram. The tubing was subject to leakage and installation dif- Another object isto provide a lifting mechanism unit which will enable efllcient conjoint utilization offpreexisting hydraulic and electrical equipment as a unitary lifting means for. imple-.

mentsadapted to be mounted on such vehicles,

as mentioned above, and particularly conjoint utilization oi'a hydraulic jack and an electric motor designed to serve as a starter motor.

flculties, for instance required considerable skill so to install 'it that the system would be free from air. The present unit met the need for an improved lifting means, principally because it could'be amply poweredfrom supply already I existing on motor driven vehicles; could be applied to most equipment already in use without A further object is-to provide a lifting unit comprising essentially a hydraulic "jack and start-' or type motor, so arranged that the unit,.without substantial alteration, can bemounted in place of conventional hydraulic lifting mechanisms previously provided for. raising implements such I as plows and shovels when mounted on automobiles and tractors and operatedvirom the-driver's position Without requiring any'hydraulic pressure unit.

the drawings, wherein: n a

change thereoij needed no plumbing (tubes and joints subject to leakage eta), and eliminated the dangers previously existing by virtue of the fact thatthe lifting and lowering operations diverted the operator's attention from proper driving control of the vehicle. The control for lifting and lowering of theimplement by the driver became (with the present unit) merely a matter of manipulating buttons conveniently located within system leading from such position to the lifting a I Other objects and novel features or the inven tion will become apparent from theioliowing de-. scription or a preferred embodiment shown ineasy reach as on or adjacent the usual instrumentboardand requiring almost insignificant strength to operate them.

Reierring further to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows oneposition in which the unit hereof may be mounted for operation to lift an implement se cured at the front of. a motor vehicle, the lifting vunitbeing indicated generally at I. 2 represents a bumper of an automobile truck on which a trating one manneror applyingthe unit to -e... motor vehicle and implement supported for operation thereby; Fig. 2;is"a diagram "showing the operative relationship, between the'elements oi" the hydraulic jackyFig an 'a sectional iront H elevation of the unit in one form; Fig. 41s a a fragmentary view of, said unitipartly in section as indicated bylgthe line; 4-4 on Fig. 3), and

The present unit was developed to fill a lon ielt needin a large field of application thereof, namely thelifting oi pushertype snow plows and ate properly if lowered from carrying position into operating position. Mechanical'and purely hydraulic lifting arrangements were the only means available for enabling the lifting to be actuated from drivers position. The mechanical Fig. 5 is li -fra mentary view of a base portion a l t i of the hydrauliciack showing a modified means for controlling a release valve thereof.

rigid supporting frame 3 including upright 4 and cross members 5, 8 and 1 may be supported, at least in part. Additional connections between the frame 3 and the vehicle may include chains 8 and! leading to the usual bumper arms (not shown) or to the vehicle chassis. The implement is represented onlyby an A-Irame l0 adjustably pivoted as on bolts II to the frame 3. The A- frame is or conventional construction and adapted pivotally to support, for instance, a plow or shovel at a forward plate I: which is apertured to receive a coupling pin. Such implement would usually be additionally secured to the A-i'rame to enable'angular adjustment with respect to the jpath of movement of the vehicle or for other urposes. The implement may be such as shown 7 in my prior Patents 1,925,395 or 2,061,585.- The A-frame is shown in lowered position, as when t the plow or shovel is in operative relation to or in contact with a track to be cleared of snow. To enable the unit I to swing the A-frame and thereby liftthe implement carried thereon, a

arrangements were difficult to apply in many rigid support I3 is built into the frame 3 as over the cross member 5. The support pivotally car ries an arm l4 extending forwardly over the A-frame and attached to the latter as by chains l5, in a manner obvious from Fig. l. The pivot of the arm l4 on the frame member I3 is indicated at I6. The main frame or body member of the unit (member 2|] Fig. 3) has a bracket or pair of brackets 2| depending therefrom for pivotal attachment to the frame member l3 as on a horizontal pin or bar 22 located above the cross frame member 5. The hydraulic jack assembly, 25 as a whole, has its lift rod or ram member 26 provided with a head 21 apertured to receive a horizontal pivot pin 28 on the lift arm I4. In practice the arm l4 may be an inverted channel, so that the apertured. portion of the head 21 extends between the channel flanges, which latter carry the pivot pin 28.

The operating elements of the hydraulic jack 25 are as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. A ram cylinder 30 slidably carries the rod or ram 26 and is surrounded by a casing 3| which constitutes a generally closed reservoir for hydraulic fluid. Fluid is drawn from the reservoir past a check valve 32 into a pump chamber 33 having a vertical pump plunger 34 fitted thereto; and the plunger is adapted to be reciprocated to force the fluid past a check valve 35 into the cylinder 30 below the rod or ram 26 to raise the latter. The raising movement is limited by a bypass 31 between the effective ends of the cylinder bore and communicating said bore with the reservoir. When the rod 26 has been raised to such elevation that its lower end unseals the by-pass 31, further pumping merely circulates fluid idly through the by-pass.

The rod or ram 26 is lowered by releasing fluid from the cylinder bore through a passage 38 past a pressure release valve 39 into the reservoir. The rate of lowering movement is governed by the amount the release valve is opened. Opening and closing of the valve is accomplished by turning of the threaded screw 39' which constitutes the release valve plug. This screw, in commercial hydraulic jacks, is usually placed, as indicated on Fig. 3, at right angles to the position of the pump cylinder and plunger 33, 34 about the axis of the main cylinder 36, which position lends itself to convenient control of the screw, but requiring modification of the usual arrangement as described below.

The frame 20 is an angle section providing a base 40 upon which to support the hydraulic jack and the pivot bracket or brackets 2|, and an upright support 4| upon which to support the motor (and gearing if reduction gearing is employed) The upright support and base are interconnected and mutually braced by a gusset plate 42. By the arrangement shown, the motor 45 can be carried on the upright portion 4| in a position with its operating axis parallel to the pivots 22 and 28, so that the motor is out of the way of the various supports and connections previously described and fully accessible for making the necessary electrical connections therewith or for adjustment and servicing of the motor.

The motor 45 is a conventional starter motor provided with the usual means (e. g. studs or bolts 46 Fig. 3) for fastening it with one end face against a support such as constituted by the upright portion 4| of the frame 20. In such position the armature shaft may be connected with the pump plunger 34 of the hydraulic jack directly or through suitable gearing. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 gearing is employed.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, the armature shaft 41 of the motor, supported on bearings in the motor case one. of which is indicated at 48, extends through the upright portion 4| of the unit frame and may carry a pinion 49 attached to the shaft as by a screw 49. The pinion drives a gear 50 on a fixed, non-rotary stub shaft 5|, the outer end of which overhangs the pump plunger 34. The gear has a circular eccentric element 52 thereon, rigid therewith, which rides continuously on a non-metallic head portion 53 of the plunger to reciprocate th latter as the gear is turned. The combined gear and eccentric can be secured to the fixed shaft 5| by a washer 55 and screw 56, the latter entering the shaft. The shaft, as shown, is supported by a sleeve '51 inserted into an aperture in the upright member 4| and welded in place, and the shaft is held in position against endwise movement toward the hydraulic jack by a key disc 56 having a non-circular edge portion seated in a slot 59 of the shaft 5| and secured against the upright portion 4| of the frame as by a screw 60 entering said frame portion.

The bearing. afforded by the fixed shaft 5| for the combined gear and eccentric, and also the contacting faces of the eccentric and head 53 of the plunger, may be lubricated by a supply of oil contained in a central bore 6| of the shaft 5| and introduced thereto through a conventional nipple 62. Lubricant (as indicated by Fig. 4) passes from the reservoir to the bearing surfaces through lateral holes 63 in the fixed shaft and thence to the external surface of the eccentric through a hole 64 in the eccentric.

The non-metallic head 53 of the pump plunger 34 comprises tough material such as hard fiber stock, with or without reinforcing material embedded therein, (e. g. brake block material), said head having a smooth continuous upper face for contact with the eccentric. The head is bored to receive the upper end of the plunger and may be pinned thereto as at 65. The plunger extends upwardly through a threaded packin sleeve 66, as usual, and is forced upwardly after each pumping stroke, by a. coil spring 61 surrounding the protruding portion of the packing sleeve and bearing upwardly against a shoulder on the non-metallic head 53. The shoulder may be formed by heads of a rivet 68 carried by the non-metallic head as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3.

When no reduction gearing is required, the motor is mounted in the position occupied by the non-rotary shaft 5|, and the driving-eccentric is suitably fastened directly to the armature shaft of the motor. In that event only the exterior surface of the eccentric requires lubrication (occasional) as through a suitable opening in the top wall of a cover 69 which may surround the hydraulic jack as indicated in Fig. 1.

By virtue of the metal-to-fiber contact between the rotary driving element and the pump plunger as much as a one-half inch stroke may be given the plunger without exertion of sufficient lateral thrust on the plunger to cause wear on the plunger cylinder wall (or gland sleeve 66). Even if the operator neglects to lubricate the contacting surfaces of the eccentric and plunger head for long period of time no damage to the mechanism will ordinarily result, nor will there be sufficient friction between the eccentric and head 53 to cause the motor to labor heavily in liftin implements of average weight and as ordinarily mounted on the supporting vehicles.

A special advantage of the driving connection 83 at the drivers station.

herein shown between the motor and hydraulic Jack plungerithe eccentric bearing on the plunger head) is that the hydraulic Jack does not have to be accurately oriented with reference to the motor shaft. Thus the jack base can be bolted to the base portion 40 of the frame?!) as'by bolts III (Figs. 3 and 4) inserted into fairly large openings H in the portion 40 and then clamped securely by suitable nuts, without danger of causing improperor ineflicient operation. One only needs to make certain that the fixed axis of the rotary driving element is approximately over the axis of the jack pump plunger in order to insure that the unitwill operate satisfactorily.

Instantaneous control of the motor can be readil accomplished by providing a starter type armature or core can be formed by a similarly curved extension 93 of an arm 94 which is atswitch, such as shown at 13 for the motor and an electric conductor wire 14 leading therefrom to a push button switch I at the drivers station, as on the instrument board of the vehicle. The switch 13 is magnetically operated when the button 15 is pressed, thereby causing current to pass through the motor, a ground conductor cable 15 being connected to the switch 13 and the'motor.

Equally readily controllable and similarly positioned means for operating the release valve screw 38' may comprise an arm 80 on the release valve screw connected as bya Bowden wire 82 to a conventional push and pull button or knob The usual flexible sheath 84 for such Bowden wire control is shown as fastened at one end to theupright portion 6| of the frame by a clip 85.

Ordinarily the release valve of a hydraulic jack has right hand threads so that (as viewed in Fig.

, 3) a right hand or clockwise turn of the screw 39. would close the release valve 39. As shown by Fig. 4 a left hand threaded screw is employed when the screw location is as illustrated, so that the Bowden Wire is pulled by the operator to release the valve and pushed to close it. If the Bowden wire were pulled to close the valve then, frequently, thla wire would have insufficient rigidity, where unsupported by the sheath 84, to effect release of the valve: and, moreover, su'ch arrangement would require'that the button 83 normally occupy a pulled-out rather than a pushed-in position.

Referring further to the diagram, Fig. 2, the

. passage I00 and fitting llll therein enables the power plunger of the hydraulic jack to be operated hydraulicallyby a suitable pump (not shown) located remotely of the present unit and adapted to be connected thereto through suitable (e. g. flexible) tubing. The fitting I0! is a connecter for such tube b which hydraulic fluid may be supplied to the power cylinder of the hydraulic jack 25 in event the power of the motor, as by reason of abnormally discharged condition of the vehicle battery, is insufficient to raise the load to be lifted .(e. g. implement on the A- frame). is not required then the passage Hill is simply closed by a screw plug, replacing fitting IM.

' With the mechanical advantage afforded by the hydraulic jack, an ordinary starter motor has ample power to lift implements (if such weight as can be eflectively mounted or'i and operated by light auto trucks and tractors, even without any reduction gearing. The gearing is used when heavier loads have to be lifted. Lifting to average carrying position requires only a few seconds,

, tached to the valve screw. Pressure on a switch button 96 located as in the cab of the vehicle can energize the solenoid magnetby car battery power to open the release valve 39, and the arm 94 returned to valve closing position by a torsion or other suitable spring. As shown, a coil spring 81 surrounds the outwardly projecting end of the screw and has bent'end portions appro priately bearing on the arm ill and a portion of the jack base,respectively, for turning the screw counterclockwise to release-,valve-closing position. The specific arrangement shown would also have a left hand threaded valve screw.

It will be seenthat the power lift is simple, rapid and flexible in operation and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, install and operate.

Raising and lowering of heavy tools at any time, as in order to clear curbing and other obstructions without having to stop the vehicle or even slow down appreciably, can be done much more quickly than by the methods previously used.

Since the motor can be started and stopped in stantly at the'will of the operator and the operating fluid automatically checked, and is releasable at will, the driver can manipulate the implement with practically no physical exertion and' give almost full attention to the matter of I safe driving of the vehicle at all times.

i This application is division of my application Serial No. 274,630 flied May 19, 1939, which latter is a continuation in part of my prior application Serial lio. 231,193, filed September 22, 1938, both now abandoned. 'i I claim: l 1. A lifting unit for an implement adapted be mounted on a motor vehicle; said unit com;-

prising a rigid frame having a baseportion and an upright portion, a self-contained hydraulic jack on the base portion and having a power cylinder andplunger extending adjacent the upright portion, means on the base portion of the frame and on the power plunger respectively for pivotally attaching the frame and plunger one to such vehicle and the other to such implement,

v said jack including a pump plunger for raising the jack, an electric motor on the upright portion operatively connected to the pump plunger in a manner to cause raising of the power plunger, means for securing the jack to the frame so. as

to adjustably position the pump plunger with respect to the motor, release valve means on the When such auxiliary or boosting power jackto enable loweringof the power plunger, and r separate means connected with the motor and with the release valve'means respectively and operable to control the motor and the release valve and never any more drain on the battery than means respectively from points remote from the unit..

2..A lifting unit for liftinga load structure relative to a supporting structure, said unitcomprising a rigid frame adapted for attachment to one of said structures, a self-contained hydraulic jack having a power cylinder and power plunger the latter being adapted for attachment to the other structure, said jack having a pump plunger with a head portion extending therefrom to enable hydraulic fluid to be forced to the power cylinder upon reciprocation of the plunger, an

electric motor on the fram having a driving element extending at right angles to the axis of the pump plunger, an eccentric on the driving element and bearing against the head portion of the plunger, spring means on the plunger adapted and arranged to force the head portion of the pump plunger against the eccentric, and means for detachably securing the jack to the frame in such position that the axis of the pump plunger is located approximately in line with the axis of the driving element of the motor.

3. A power lift unit for the purpose described, said unit comprising a frame having means enabling it to be pivotally connected to a supporting structure, a self-contained hydraulic jack unit mounted on the frame and having a pump, a reservoir, a working cylinder and power plunger therein, said power plunger having means thereon for enabling the same to be pivotally connected to a work member to be raised relative to the supporting structure, an electric motor rigidly mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the pump, means for adjustably securing the jack unit to the frame so as to adiustably position the pump with respect to the motor, means adapted and arranged to energize the motor from,

a point remotely of the unit for raising the power plunger, a release valve for the working cylinder operable to block and unblock passage of hydraulic fluid from the cylinder to the reservoir, and meansconnected with the valve and extend ing remotely of the unit for enabling operation of the valve to permit the power plunger to be lowered by the weight of the work member.

4. A power lift unit for the purpose described, said unit comprising a rigid frame having an upright portion and a horizontal portion, a self contained hydraulic jack supported on the horizontal portion and having a power cylinder and power plunger extending substantially parallel to the upright frame portion, said jack having a pump, a self-contained electric motor having a casing and an armature shaft supported in the casing and projecting from one end thereof, means securing said end of the casing to the upright frame portion on the side thereof opposite the position occupied by the jack, said armature shaft projecting beyond the upright portion in a direction away from said motor casing and operatively connected to the pump to cause it to 'deliver hydraulic fluid to the power cylinder as the armature shaft is turned, means for controlling the motor and means for releasing hydraulic fluid from the working cylinder of the jack, each of said means being operable from a point remotely of the unit, means on the horizontal portion of the frame providing a pivotal mounting for the frame on a pivotal axis extending parallel to the armature shaft of the motor for mounting the unit on a supporting structure, and means on the power plunger of the jack for connecting the same to a load to be lifted relative to the supporting structure.

5. A power lift unit for the purpose described, said unit comprising a rigid frame having an upright portion and a horizontal portion, a. selfcontained hydraulic jack supported on the horizontal portion and having a power cylinder and lifting plunger extending substantially parallel to the upright frame portion, said jack having a reciprocable pump plunger with its axis extending parallel to the upright frame portion and adjacent thereto, a self-contained electric motor having a casing and an armature shaft upported in the casing and projecting from one end thereof, means securing said end of the casing to the upright frame portion on the side thereof opposite the position occupied by the jack, said armature shaft projecting beyond the upright portion in a direction away from said motor casing and operatively connected to the pump plunger to reciprocate it as the armature shaft is turned, means for controlling the motor and means for releasing hydraulic fluid from the working cylinder of the jack, each of said means being operable from a point remotely of the unit, means on the horizontal portion of the frame providing a pivotal mounting for the frame on a pivotal axis extending parallel to the armature shaft of the motor for mounting the unit on a supporting structure, and means on the power plunger of the jack for connecting the same to a load to be lifted relative to the supporting structure.

EDWARD B. MEYER 

